June 21, 2007

Announcing Public Review and Comment Period for Glacier Point Road Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment

Yosemite National Park is announcing the public comment and review period for the Glacier Point Road Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA outlines a range of feasible project alternatives, including a no action alternative, and analyzes the environmental effects of each.

The public review and comment period for the EA will open on June 27, 2007 and will run until July 29, 2007.

Glacier Point Road was identified as a high priority for improvements in the Yosemite Road System Evaluation / Parkwide Road Engineering Study. This project is a proposal to rehabilitate 5.1 miles of Glacier Point Road from Chinquapin Intersection (at Wawona Road) to Badger Pass Ski Area, to correct safety deficiencies, preserve culturally historic features, and improve visitor experience. The road provides the only vehicle access to Glacier Point and Badger Pass, and access to trailheads such as the Panorama Trail, the Pohono Trail, and Taft Point. The project entails repaving, replacing culverts, cleaning and restoring shoulders, and providing designated chain-up areas. Safety improvements at two key intersections (Chinquapin and Badger Pass) would include better signage, designated turn lanes, grade adjustments, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements at visitor use areas. Public scoping for the project occurred in fall 2005.

Two public meetings will take place during the Public Review and Comment Period. The public meeting schedule will be:

• Wednesday, June 27, Open House from 1-5 pm at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
• July 25th, 2007, Open House from 1-5 pm at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
  Park admission fee will be waived for those attending

Comments or requests for the Environmental Assessment by hard copy or CD can be submitted by any of the means listed below:

In person at public meetings
Fax: 209/379-1294
Email: yose_planning@nps.gov

Mail: Yosemite National Park Superintendent
Attn: Glacier Point Road Rehabilitation
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

You can also submit comments through the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) commenting system. Access the site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yose

Written comments must be postmarked no later than July 29, 2007.

A link to project information will also be posted on the park’s website at: www.nps.gov/yose/planning

Reminder: Public Scoping Meetings for the Tunnel View Overlook Rehabilitation Project

The Wawona Tunnel View Overlook is a popular scenic viewpoint at the east portal of the Wawona Tunnel. The overlook is a historic site constructed in 1932 that helped initiate the National Park Service “rustic” design style. The proposed rehabilitation project will address safety, sanitation, and accessibility issues. This public comment period for the Tunnel View Overlook Rehabilitation Project opened on Monday, June 4, 2007, and closes on July 9, 2007.

The National Park Service is currently hosting two public meetings, and welcomes all ideas and concerns regarding this planning effort. The meetings are as follows:

• Tuesday, June 26 in Oakhurst from 4-7 pm at the Oakhurst Community Hall, 39800 Road 425B, Oakhurst, CA
• Wednesday, June 27, Open House from 1-5 pm at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
  Park admission fee will be waived for those attending

You can submit comments by any of the means listed above, Attn: Tunnel View. All comments must be postmarked no later than July 9, 2007.

Remember to get your comments for Reconstructing Critically Eroded Sections on El Portal Road in by July 3, 2007

The Reconstructing Critically Eroded Sections of El Portal Road Environment Assessment is now available for public review. The EA outlines a range of feasible project alternatives, including a no action alternative, and analyzes the environmental effects of each. Comments will be accepted from June 4 until July 3, 2007.

There is 1 remaining public scoping meetings for this project:

• Wednesday, June 27, Open House from 1-5 pm at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
  Park admission fee will be waived for those attending

Comments or requests for the Environmental Assessment by hard copy or CD can be submitted by any of the means listed above, Attn: Reconstructing Critically Eroded Sections on El Portal Road. Written comments must be postmarked no later than July 3, 2007.

COMING SOON: TUOLUMNE PLANNING WORKBOOK
(formerly advertised as the Tuolumne Alternatives Newsletter)

For the past two years, a group of dedicated NPS staff made up of representatives of each division have been hard at work on the Tuolumne River Plan and Tuolumne Meadows Plan. In July, the NPS team will release the Tuolumne Planning Workbook, a compilation of all work completed during this time. It will include a summary of the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River values, management strategies prescribed for the river corridor, and a set of color-coded preliminary alternative concepts. Based on public comments received during last summer's scoping period, as well as a series of public workshops, these concepts present different scenarios for how the river corridor--and most specifically, Tuolumne Meadows--could be managed in the future.

THE TEAM NEEDS YOUR HELP. Before sitting down next fall to develop the alternatives that will be analyzed in the Tuolumne River Plan's draft environmental impact statement, we are looking to park staff, the public, stakeholders, tribal groups, and other agencies to weigh in on the preliminary work completed so far. The Tuolumne Planning Workbook will be available to the public for review in mid-July. Comments on the document--including the preliminary concepts--will be accepted through September. ( All comments received during last summer's public scoping process are being considered; there is no need to re-submit comments.)

To receive a copy of this publication, send an email with your name and address to YOSE_Planning@nps.gov, or leave a phone message with your mailing information at 209/379-1365.

The Tuolumne planning team is dedicated to providing regular opportunities for the public to not only get information about the plan's development, but provide input at key points in the process. Stay tuned to this e-newsletter for announcements regarding an upcoming public workshop in Tuolumne Meadows as well as other information-sharing events that will take place this summer---and throughout the coming months.